12 Common Phrases That Actually Come from Strange Origins
These everyday expressions sound normal now, but their original meanings might leave you speechless.
- Daisy Montero
- 3 min read
You say them without thinking, but have you ever stopped to wonder where phrases like “bite the bullet” or “mad as a hatter” really come from? A lot of common expressions have weird, wild, or downright creepy backstories. Some trace back to outdated practices, while others come from long-forgotten trades and tales. This list uncovers the strange origins hiding in plain sight inside your daily vocabulary.
1. “Bite the Bullet”
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Long before painkillers, soldiers literally bit bullets to endure surgery without anesthesia. It was brutal, but it kept them from screaming or biting their tongues. That moment of grit is now just another way of saying “get it over with.”
2. “Mad as a Hatter”
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Hat makers once worked with mercury, which slowly poisoned them and caused wild mood swings. That bizarre link between hats and madness stuck. Lewis Carroll wasn’t making it up—the Mad Hatter had a historical backup.
3. “Saved by the Bell”
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Ever heard of being buried alive? It was such a fear that people were buried with bells they could ring just in case. The phrase now means rescued in the nick of time—but it started much darker.
4. “Turn a Blind Eye”
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Admiral Nelson had poor eyesight and famously ignored orders by literally putting a telescope on his blind eye. That cheeky move gave us the phrase we now use to mean deliberate ignorance.
5. “Let the Cat Out of the Bag”
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Medieval markets were full of tricks, including selling a pig in a sack—until someone peeked and found a cat instead. Uncovering that scam led to this odd expression about spilling secrets.
6. “Kick the Bucket”
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One theory says it came from animals being slaughtered while hanging from a bucket. Another ties it to suicide. Either way, this oddly casual phrase about dying has grim roots.
7. “Butter Someone Up”
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In ancient India, people tossed butter at statues of the gods to gain favor. That practice evolved into our more verbal version of flattery today. It’s not quite as messy, but it’s still a bit sticky.
8. “Riding Shotgun”
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This phrase goes back to stagecoach days, when someone sat beside the driver armed and ready to fight off bandits. Now, it just means you called the front seat.
9. “Pulling Out All the Stops”
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Organ players used to pull out wooden stops to let every pipe roar at full volume. That dramatic blast gave us the expression we now use to describe going all in.
10. “Caught Red-Handed”
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This comes straight from being caught with literal blood on your hands after a crime. It originally referred to murder or poaching. It’s not as metaphorical as it sounds.
11. “Break the Ice”
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In the age of trade ships, smaller vessels broke ice ahead of the main fleet to clear the way. That idea of making things easier became our go-to phrase for starting conversations.
12. “Read the Riot Act”
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In 18th-century England, public gatherings could be broken up by reading an actual government act aloud. If people didn’t leave, they could be arrested. Now, it just means getting a stern warning.